Nigeria Granted $2.1bn Loan By World Bank For Seven Projects

World Bank president Jim Yong Kim.

Loan Approved Is For Nutrition, Electricity And Other

Nigeria has been granted the sum of $2.1bn loan by the World Bank for the execution of seven projects in the country.

While releasing a statement on Thursday in Abuja, it was revealed that the loans were approved in Washington on Wednesday and are for seven projects to support Nigeria’s investment in nutrition, access to electricity, states’ fiscal transparency, polio eradication, women’s economic empowerment, public finance and national statistics and reducing vulnerability to soil erosion.

Rachid Benmessaoud, the World Bank Country Director for Nigeria, was quoted to have said, “The Federal Government of Nigeria’s Economic Recovery and Growth Plan identifies human capital investment, restoring growth, and building a competitive economy as its key pillars.

The projects approved by the International Association is to support Nigeria’s economic growth plan.

There has been a betterment in the growth rate of Nigeria after the country was hitted with recession which last happened in 25 years.

Growth returned largely due to higher oil prices, with the country relying on crude sales for much of its revenue, but there has been a slow down as the country’s non-oil sector struggled.

The government expects growth to rise to a pre-recession level of 7 percent by 2020.

The World Bank said more than half of the loans would be used to fund power and climate change projects and boost fiscal transparency. It also approved a $7 million grant for nutrition.

Nigeria privatised most of its power sector in 2013 but retained control of its dilapidated monopoly transmission grid, often blamed for hobbling growth.

The country intends to raise $2.8 billion of debt offshore to help part-finance its 2018 budget and plans to explore all options to lower costs, the debt office head told Reuters.

The debt office said it could tap capital markets or concessionary loans from the World Bank after the 2018 budget had been approved.